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Shortly after the New York Knicks’ Game 3 loss in the NBA Finals, Mike Brown turned his attention to the referee.
“I talked to [the officials]. They outscored us 14-3 in the third quarter from the free throw line. I talked to them and they said, well, this is a mistake, this is a mistake,” Brown told reporters after the San Antonio Spurs trimmed the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. “The question I had with them is, you’re right. Maybe we made a mistake. But they also polluted.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the catalysts behind New York’s postseason success, struck a different note ahead of Game 4.
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown observes the game during the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
“Now, it didn’t cost us the game,” Towns told reporters when asked about Brown’s comments. “Turned the ball over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t do what got us 13 straight. That’s how you lose a game. We didn’t do what we’ve done in 13. We decided to do something different. … And throwing the ball away is a clear indication of how you’re going to lose the game, especially in the playoffs.”
The box score seemed to underscore Brown’s primary complaint, as the Spurs attempted three times as many free throws as the Knicks in the second half of Monday’s 115-111 victory.
SUSPENSION OF OFFICIALS, THE KNICKS WILL AVENGE OVER THE SPURS IN GAME 4 OF THE 2026 NBA FINALS
The Knicks were in the penalty kill for the majority of the fourth quarter. In a cold-shooting second half, New York connected on 36% of its field goal attempts.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks defends Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
While it remains to be seen if the officiating will play a role in Wednesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden, Brown seemed intent on making it part of the build-up to Game 4.
“It will be because I said so. The story is going to be there,” Brown continued during a press conference. “But there are some controllables that we didn’t do a good job of doing. We let them hit first at the beginning of the game. We let them hit only at the beginning of the second half.”
Mike Brown of the New York Knicks talks during a timeout in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Towns finished Game 3 with 11 points and eight rebounds, a noticeable drop from his team-high 21-point performance in New York’s Game 2 win over the Spurs. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring on Monday with 32 points.
Game 4 tips off at 8:30 PM EDT, with the series returning to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday.
